Phoenix Coyotes' Mikkel Boedker has already made a name for himself

Ignore his age and Coyotes winger Mikkel Boedker’s shelf life in the NHL would suggest he’s established a clear identity.

Despite being 23-years old, Boedker has 276 games of experience. He’s consistently been included in the top-six forward group in that time, and he’s made a memorable impression in the playoffs.

And yet the rift in contract negotiations this off-season, which was finally resolved Saturday with a two-year, $5.1 million deal for the restricted free agent, suggests the Coyotes are still waiting for Boedker to prove himself.

“I know what kind of player I am, but obviously you have to show it every night to make sure that you show it for them, too, so they know exactly what they have in me,” Boedker said. “I think they know, but I think they want to verify it and be 100 percent. I obviously have to prove that last year the first half wasn’t a fluke, and I can do it again.”

The snag in talks between Boedker’s camp and Coyotes management revolved around the length of the contract. Boedker wanted a long-term deal and while the Coyotes discussed that, they couldn’t agree with Boedker’s agent on the price tag for that commitment.

“He still has something to prove to show that he’s a producing forward for us,” General Manager Don Maloney said. “If he does that, he’ll be paid a lot more money.”

To be clear, this wasn’t a messy negotiation. The relationship between Boedker and the Coyotes is untarnished. The same can be said for Boedker’s agent, Jarrett Bousquet, and the Coyotes. Bousquet and Titan Sports Management also represent defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

“I don’t think there are any hard feelings,” Boedker said. “Obviously everybody has a different opinion, right? But at the end of the day, I think it turned out to be a good decision for myself and for my family.”

Boedker believes he’s capable of duplicating his first-half performance last season. He had six goals and 18 points in 26 games. But he struggled in the final 22 games, recording only one goal and eight points.

“Yeah, I guess my points went down a little bit but I guess when you have a lot of things in your head, you start to over-think stuff,” Boedker said. “That’s out of the way now, and I can just focus on playing hockey.”

Boedker wasn’t stressing over the fact he was in a contract year. It was the discrepancy between the two halves that weighed on his mind, especially when it was brought to his attention by those around him.

“You get mind boggled a little bit,” he said. “You start thinking too far ahead. You don’t think in the moment. I think that’s when I was successful in the beginning. I don’t think I had a bad season at all but when I was really successful, I was thinking in the moment.

“I wasn’t thinking too far ahead. I was just playing with a smile on my face and having fun and really enjoying the game of hockey and really enjoying playing with these players. I think that’s something I have to get back to. You just have to enjoy what you love doing, and that’s something I will do.”

That should be easy to accomplish if he’s paired with center Mike Ribeiro. Boedker will audition for the left-wing spot on the No. 1 line at training camp.

“There’s a position sitting there with one of the top creative centermen in the league,” Maloney said. “Mikkel comes in and probably looks over and sees Mike Ribeiro sitting there, and he can grab a hold of that position and never look back.”

For a player anxious to cement his status as an elite forward, working alongside a top-tier center can’t hurt.

“Obviously the combinations have to be figured out,” he said. “You can’t predict anything, but I guess you have to try to start like that. It’s a big opportunity for me to play with a player like him. I’ve played with Shane (Doan) before, and I think we’ve had some good chemistry over the years. But now obviously with Mike coming in, I think it’ll be a different aspect. He has a really good eye for the game and (is) a really skilled player, so I think this could be a really fun line. We’ll have to work toward making it a good line.”

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